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A fatal police shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, has fueled anger in the community as harrowing footage appeared to show the moment an officer killed a man at point-blank range in the middle of the street.
The victim, whose name has not yet been released by authorities, was seen in the cellphone footage struggling with several Madison Police Department officers before one of them fired the fatal shot Wednesday afternoon.
“This was an execution, and it never should have happened,” said Fran Hong, a Democratic state representative running for governor.
Hundreds of citizens reacted to the tragedy by marching on the State Capitol to protest, chanting, “Arrest the cops!” They later took over the stage at a downtown summer concert to draw attention to the killing, prompting the organizers to cancel the performance underway.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson warned the public against leaping to conclusions about the circumstances surrounding his death based on footage widely shared on social media.
Here is everything we know about the case so far
What happened?
Bystanders have shared disturbing footage of the shooting that took place Wednesday at the busy intersection of Madison’s South Baldwin and Williamson Streets around 1:34 p.m.
Madison Police Department said officers were responding to a report alleging that someone had been seen attempting to break into parked cars in the city’s Marquette neighborhood, according to a statement.
The video showed the man, who police said was armed with a knife, being pinned to the ground by several officers after a pursuit on foot.
A “physical struggle” ensued and an officer yelled, “Taser, Taser Taser,” but was unable to discharge the weapon, police said.
Officers wrestled the man to the floor, when one of them pulled out his weapon and appeared to fire several shots at close range. The victim was then seen slumped on the ground and did not move again. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
The Madison Police Department described the officer who fatally shot the man as “a veteran,” and said he fired after being injured by the deceased, who “pulled out a fixed blade knife” while resisting arrest.
A second officer was injured in the incident but police have not said how, only that they do not believe his wound was caused by the knife.
The four officers involved have since been placed on administrative leave according to procedure and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation has commenced an independent probe.
Police Chief Patterson appealed for calm at a press conference in the aftermath, recounting the official narrative and pointing out that video of the shooting seen online only offered one side of the story.
Madison police officers do not wear body cameras, so there is no bodycam footage of the shooting, Patterson said.
How has the community reacted?
Hundreds of people took to the streets Wednesday evening to protest the killing.
Hong, a Democratic primary candidates in Wisconsin’s governor’s race, attended on a vigil and spoke to demonstrators through a megaphone, videos on social media showed.
“This state sanctioned violence was an execution,” she told a crowd.
Incumbent Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for “transparency and accountability” on X, expressing his sympathies for the victim’s family and saying that any protest should be conducted “peacefully and respectfully.”
“Each incident reopens deep wounds, raises difficult questions, and reminds us of the urgent work that remains to build trust, transparency, and accountability in our systems,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is also running for governor.
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